


It's not the end

by Dahlia_Rose_83



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Werewolf Bites, injured Damon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 04:10:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15721698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahlia_Rose_83/pseuds/Dahlia_Rose_83
Summary: My version of 2/22 - As I lay dying: What if Alaric had stayed with Damon during the werewolf-bite, instead of Elena?





	It's not the end

**Author's Note:**

> I know this has been done a few times already. Well, this is my attempt. I actually wrote this quite a while back and only now noticed that I haven't posted it yet.

Alaric took the bottle of bourbon from the waitress and glared at her when she tried to take it back. Shrugging she turned away, muttering to herself. The teacher ignored her, while he took a swig. He knew that it was still early. Not even noon. Way too early to be drunk already. But he didn`t care. They had buried Jenna just yesterday. He was grieving, so he was allowed some slack.  
   
He didn`t even know what was the worst about Jenna`s death. The fact that he hadn´t been able to save her. That she died while he was stuck in a house, unable to rush to her aid. Or the many things left unsaid between them. Their relationship had always been complicated. It was inevitable with all the secrets he`d had to keep from her. Still he had loved her. But not like he should have. Not enough.  
   
The ringing of his cell phone startled him out of his musings. A look at the display showed that Stefan was calling him. Sighing he answered. “Sorry, you've reached somebody who's currently not operating.” His voice sounded bitter, even to his own ears. 

“I need your help.” Stefan said quietly. Ric snorted in disgust.   
“Well, you must have me confused with somebody else. You see, I'm not allowed to help. Just idly sit by while my girlfriend gets sacrificed on an altar of blood.” And he didn`t care if that was harsh. He had every right to be upset. They had left him out.   
   
But Stefan`s next words instantly cut off any nasty reply. “Damon's dying. Tyler Lockwood bit him. We don't have much time.” And just like that Alaric was sober and alert, putting his own hurt feelings aside.   
“What do you need?”   
He could hear Stefan´s audible sigh of relief. “Can you come over to the boarding house and watch him, while I search for a cure?” he asked.   
“I`m on my way.” the teacher assured. He hung up and hurried to his car. It probably wasn`t a good idea to drive in his state of intoxication, but desperate times required desperate measures. And the times were very desperate.  
   
He drove as fast as he dared, trying not to think about what he might find at the boarding house. Stefan`s words kept ringing in his head. “Damon is dying.” Fear gripped Alaric like an icy cold fist around his heart. He felt nauseas. It couldn`t be true. It just couldn´t be true. He had lost Jenna. He couldn`t lose Damon as well. Not Damon. This was a loss he wouldn´t survive.   
   
He could still remember a time when he had hated the dark-haired vampire. When he had wanted to kill him. But that was long ago. It was before he actually had gotten to know Damon. The real Damon. Before he had seen the compassionate side of him. Before he had come to appreciate his quick wit and dry sense of humour. Before they had fought enemies together, gotten drunk together, laughed together. Before he had fallen in love with the vampire.  
   
Admitting it, even to himself, was hard. Somehow he had known for a while now that his feelings for Damon ran deeper than mere friendship. He had tried to ignore it, hoping the feelings would go away. But they hadn`t gone away. If anything they had become even stronger. Sometimes he was sure that Jenna knew. She must have known. She had been a very observant woman and he hadn`t exactly done much to hide it. She had never commented on it though and he had been too much in denial to bring it up.   
   
But now he couldn`t deny it any longer. The feelings came crushing down on him. He was in love with Damon Salvatore and Damon was dying. Alaric`s throat felt tight and he had trouble breathing. His hands had a death grip on the steering wheel, but that didn`t stop them from shaking. Upon finally reaching the boarding house he took a moment to calm himself. Stefan had said he would go looking for a cure. Maybe there was still hope. He wouldn`t give up now. If there was a cure, Stefan would find it.  
   
Taking a deep breath Alaric got out of the car and entered the house. Stefan met him in the hallway, looking anxious.   
“I locked him up in the basement. He… he tried to kill himself earlier. Keep an eye on him, okay?” Ric nodded, unable to form words. “Bonnie´s got a lead on a cure. I`ll get it. I just need some time.” Stefan said, then patted him on the shoulder and hurried off.  
   
Alaric watched him go. He had a lead. There was a cure. So there was still hope. Taking another deep breath to steel himself for whatever he was going to see, he grabbed a bottle of bourbon and a glass and headed downstairs. Peering through the bars of the cell he spotted Damon on the ground, muttering something about Katherine and looking at his arm. The wound looked horrible, but Ric forced himself to keep his tone light.  
“Well, that looks bad.”   
The vampire looked up at him. “It feels worse. My subconscious is haunting me, Ric. Please tell me you have something for that.”  
   
The teacher poured a generous shot and handed Damon the glass, watching as the vampire downed it in one gulp. “So my brother sent you for suicide watch?” he asked conversationally.   
Ric shrugged. “Just trying to help.”   
Damon looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face. “You should want me dead. I'm the reason Jenna got killed.” he murmured.   
Alaric shook his head. “That wasn`t your fault.” he argued. No-one could have foreseen what would happen.  
   
“Let's not forget I turned your wife into a vampire. You must really hate me for that one.” Damon went on.   
The teacher flinched, but he didn`t look away. “I forgave you a long time ago.” he answered honestly. Damon looked doubtful. “If you hadn`t done it, she would`ve found someone else.” Alaric reasoned. It was the truth. Isobel had been obsessing about vampires for years. Nothing would have stopped her from becoming one.  
   
Without even realizing it he had gotten closer to the bars. Damon used that to his advantage and grabbed him. “Kill me. Please.” he begged. The pain in his eyes was nearly too much to take. But Ric shook his head, breaking away from the vampire`s grip with some difficulty.   
“Never. Stefan`s looking for a cure. You just have to hang on for a little while. Please, Damon. Don´t give up yet.”  
   
Damon slumped down onto the ground. He was shaking and obviously in pain. “Blood. I need blood.” he whispered. Alaric rushed over to the fridge and took out a blood bag. But when he turned back to the cell he came face to face with sheriff Forbes, who was aiming a gun at him. Ric also noticed a deputy, who was peering into Damon´s cell, calling the sheriff over.   
“I wouldn`t go in there. He`s not himself.” Alaric warned. But she didn`t listen. The deputy was pointing his gun at Ric, so he could only watch helplessly as she entered the cell.   
   
It all happened so fast that he had no time to react. Liz went down with a scream. The deputy whirled around, but Damon was too fast, even in his weakened state. He skipped out of the cell and up the stairs at vampire speed. Alaric cursed under his breath. He shoved the deputy away, glad that the guy was too distracted to put up a fight and hurried after Damon. But when he reached the living room the vampire was already gone.  
   
Cursing he pulled out his phone and called Jeremy. “Tell me you're with Elena.” he said by way of greeting.   
“No, I`m at the town square with Caroline and Bonnie. Elena went to see Damon. I thought that's where you were?” the teen asked, clearly puzzled.   
Ric bit back another curse. “He just escaped. I think he's looking for her, and the cops are after him. Listen, he's in bad shape, Jeremy, so if you find her, get her somewhere safe, okay? I'm on my way.” Ric promised before hanging up and hurrying to his car.  
   
Damon had clearly been hallucinating earlier. If he ran into Elena now he might mistake her for Katherine and who knew what he`d do to her then. And the sheriff might just shoot him on sight, since he had attacked her earlier. He had to find Damon and get him to safety. Running around wouldn`t help his condition. He needed to conserve his strength.  
   
***  
   
Damon reached the town square, looking around wildly. He was here for a reason. He was sure of it. But he couldn`t remember that reason now. He felt cold and sick and he didn´t know why. What was wrong with him? Around him people were chattering, ladies in dresses and guys in confederate uniforms. Turning his head he spied Katherine. Was he here for her? He called her name, but she disappeared. Instead a boy was coming towards him. Shaking his head he recognized Jeremy.   
   
“Jeremy, where`s Elena? I need to see Elena now.” he pleaded. He needed to apologize. She had to forgive him. And she had to do it now, before the werewolf-bite would kill him. The bite. Now he remembered why he felt so sick. And so cold. He stumbled, but Jeremy caught him.   
“Let's get you out of here first, all right?” the boy murmured, holding him up. Damon just leaned on him and allowed  Jeremy to drag him towards the Grill.  
   
“Why are you helping me? I killed you.” the vampire muttered, when they reached the Grill.   
“Because you`re one of us and I`ve gotten used to having you around, despite all the evil things you`ve done. And my sister views you as a friend. She can`t lose you.” Jeremy explained. Damon leaned against the bar heavily, watching the teen who called someone on his phone. Probably Alaric, Damon mused and his heart lurched. He wanted Ric with him now. He needed to tell him, before it was too late. Needed to tell him everything.  
   
Looking up the vampire noticed sheriff Forbes entering the Grill. She was pointing a gun at him. He reacted on instinct and rushed off, hearing the gunshot and some commotion in the background as he sped out of the Grill, back to the town square. Again he saw the people dressed up in civil war clothes and shook his head in confusion. Was he back in 1864?  
   
He must be, he decided, when he suddenly saw Katherine. He ran towards her, calling for her to wait, but he tripped and nearly fell. Katherine rushed over to him, helping him up and he used the chance to pin her to a tree, complaining that she was always running from him. Why did she always have to run?   
“I know that you will chase.” she whispered and he couldn`t help but grin.   
Yes, he would always chase her. They were meant to be together. “Then let me chase you forever. Feed me your blood.” he begged.  
   
Katherine just laughed and told him he had to take it, if he wanted it. “It is your choice to make.” she said.   
He didn´t have to think twice. “I choose you, Katherine.” He breathed, leaning towards her neck, where blood was pooling after she had pricked herself. She would turn him and they would be happy forever. Without another thought he bit down on her neck and swallowed the sweet blood that was rushing into his mouth.  
   
But something wasn`t right. Katherine was struggling, begging him to stop. She should urge him to drink more, not tell him to stop. “Damon, you don't have to do this. Please stop. You're hurting me!” she sobbed.   
Damon pulled away to look at her and the fog around his brain cleared. She wasn`t Katherine, he realized with a start. “Elena?” he asked in a small voice. He had hurt her. Again.   
   
A wave of nausea washed over him and he dropped down onto his knees. “Oh god, Elena. I`m so sorry. So sorry about everything. Made so many mistakes. Forgive me.” he babbled.   
Elena kneeled down beside him and pulled him into her arms. “It`s okay. I forgive you. For everything.” she assured. 

Damon hid his face against her shoulder. He felt sick and cold and he hurt all over. “Ric… Need Ric.” he whimpered. Elena was muttering soothing words, but he barely heard her. The blood was rushing in his ears and dizziness swept over him. He tried to fight it, but suddenly everything turned black.  
   
***  
   
The car screeched to a halt and Alaric jumped out, running towards Elena who was crouched on the ground, holding Damon. The vampire seemed too still and for one horrifying second the teacher thought he might be too late. But once he reached them he saw that Damon was still breathing.   
“He`s unconscious.” Elena said unnecessarily. Ric nodded, kneeling down next to Damon. He saw the bite-mark on Elena`s neck, but chose not to comment. She looked okay enough and Damon needed his attention more right now.  
   
Looking down at the vampire he gently stroked Damon´s hair away from his face. “He`s burning up.” he noticed with growing worry. He looked at Elena again, saw the worry mirrored in her eyes. “I`ll take care of him. You should go home. Look after Jeremy. He… he got shot by sheriff Forbes. But Caroline and Bonnie are taking care of him and Caroline called to tell me he´s okay.” he let the brunette know. 

Elena looked torn. “Will you be okay?” she asked tentatively.   
   
Alaric nodded. “I`ll take him home. Stefan should be there with the cure any minute now.” He wasn`t sure who he was trying to cheer up, Elena or himself. He hadn`t heard from Stefan and it was easy to see that Damon didn`t have much time left. But he wouldn`t give up hope now. “I`ll take care of Damon.” he said again. 

Elena nodded and got to her feet. “He asked for you.” she let him know. Ric felt a stab of excitement, despite the situation. Damon had asked for him, even in his weak state.   
   
Giving Elena an hopefully encouraging smile he picked Damon up and carried him to the car, where he put him into the back seat. Without looking back he got into the driver seat and hurried back to the boarding house, hoping against hope that Stefan would already be there with a cure.  
   
When he reached the house he was quickly disappointed. It was empty. Trying to think positive he carried Damon upstairs and put him into his bed. He would not lock the vampire up again. Damon was in no condition to run off anyways. After making him as comfortable as possible he ran down into the basement to get a few blood bags, before returning to the vampire`s side. Damon was shivering, sweat pooling on his forehead.   
   
Alaric draped another blanket over him and then went to fetch a bowl of water and a few towels. He soaked the towels and then proceeded to dab Damon`s forehead, trying to cool him down. He startled when Damon suddenly opened his eyes. “Ric.” the vampire croaked.   
“It's ok, Damon. I'm right here. I'm not leaving you.” the teacher assured. He grabbed a blood bag and cut the edge off. “Here, drink this. Maybe it`ll help to slow the poison.”  
   
Damon weakly shook his head. “It`s too late.” he whispered.   
“No, it`s not. Stefan`s getting a cure for you. He`ll be here soon. You`re not dying on me, understood?” Ric ordered harshly. He helped Damon to lift his head and put the blood bag to his lips, watching as he swallowed with some difficulty. He only let go when the bag was empty. The vampire settled back on the bed. Not knowing what else to do, Ric grabbed the towel again and dabbed his brow.  
   
“You should go.” Damon whispered.   
“Told you, I`m not leaving you. Whatever happens, I`m with you till the end.” Alaric promised again. He looked on in alarm when Damon suddenly screamed in pain and started thrashing around. Not knowing what else to do he climbed into the bed and pulled the vampire into his arms to keep him still. “Shh, it`s okay.” he whispered helplessly, feeling horrible for not being able to take Damon´s pain away.  
   
“It`s not okay. All those years, I've blamed Stefan. No one forced me to love her. It was my own choice. The wrong choice. Tell Stefan I'm sorry. Please.” Damon begged.   
“I`ll tell him.” the teacher promised, blinking back tears. He was losing hope and it was getting difficult to keep up a brave face. What if Stefan didn`t come? He was scared Damon might die in his arms. “Hang on, Damon. Fight it.” he begged.  
   
“Can`t. I've made a lot of choices that have gotten me here. I deserve this. I deserve to die.” the vampire whispered.   
“Don´t ever say that. And don´t you dare give up now. I can`t lose you. Not you.” Ric choked out.   
“It`s okay. Just… tell Elena I`m sorry. Please. It was… was never about her. Just Katherine and then… shouldn´t have pursued her.” Damon´s voice was weak but he kept on muttering. “Never really wanted her. But it was easier than admitting… and having you hate me.”  
   
“I could never hate you, Damon.” Alaric assured.   
The vampire smiled slightly. “You will. But I need to tell you. I love you, Ric.”   
Any other time Alaric would have felt ecstatic hearing these words. Now he only felt incredibly sad. It wasn`t fair. Damon admitting that he felt the same and then dying on him. He couldn`t take this. It was a hundred times worse than losing Jenna.   
   
“You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me.” Damon whispered and Ric lost the fight against his emotions. He felt tears spilling down his cheeks as he leaned down and pressed his lips softly against Damon`s in a feather light kiss.   
“I like you now. Just the way you are. Damon, I…” started, but suddenly another voice interrupted.  
   
“Am I disturbing?” 

The teacher looked up sharply. Katherine was standing in the doorway, watching them with a strange smile. Ric didn`t have time to wonder how he knew it was Katherine and not Elena, because she was sauntering over to the bed. He got up, ready to attack her should she plan anything. “What do you want, Katherine?” he growled.  
   
“Easy there, Alaric. Being nice wouldn`t hurt you. After all, I'm the one who brought the cure.” she held up a vial with red liquid for him to see. Ric let her pass reluctantly. He watched as she sat down on the bed and helped Damon drink some of the red liquid.   
“You got free. And you still came here?” Damon whispered.   
Katherine stroked his cheek in a surprisingly gentle gesture. “I owed you one.”  
   
Smiling she got up again and made to leave. But then she stopped in the doorway, like she had just remembered something. “Oh and I wouldn't expect Stefan back anytime soon. He gave himself over to Klaus.”   
Ric frowned. “What do you mean, "he gave himself over"?”   
Katherine shrugged. “He just sacrificed everything to save his brother, including his precious Elena. So much for true love, huh?” And with that cryptic comment she sauntered out of the door.  
   
***  
   
Damon watched her go with mixed emotions. He had no idea if she was telling the truth, but why would she lie? And she had brought him the cure. He could feel its effect already. The burning pain that had been raging through his body was slowly fading to a dull ache. The cold that had seeped into his bones was receding, as was the pounding in his head. He was breathing easier and he felt his strength slowly returning.  
   
“Are you feeling better?” Ric asked hesitantly, drawing Damon`s attention back to himself.   
“Yeah, it`s working.” the vampire whispered, without looking at him. He felt incredibly stupid all of a sudden, remembering all the things he had just told Alaric. He had confessed his love for the man, god damnit! And while Ric had reacted by kissing him, just like he always had in Damon´s secret dreams, the vampire didn`t dare get his hopes up. Ric had thought he was dying. His actions didn`t count.  
   
He could only hope Ric would let it slide. Maybe he could convince the teacher that he`d been delirious and talking nonsense. Or that he`d mistaken him for someone else. He just needed a bit time to come up with a good excuse. If only Ric would leave him alone to think. But the man hadn´t moved from his position next to the bed.  
   
Deciding that if Alaric wasn`t leaving he would have to leave, Damon sat up slowly. He still felt a little weak and disoriented, but it was getting better. “Need a shower.” he mumbled, getting to his feet with some difficulty. He regretted the action a second later, when the room started spinning around him and he wobbled on his feet. Suddenly a pair of strong arms wrapped around him and pushed him back onto the bed.   
“You need to rest. The shower can wait until tomorrow.” Ric admonished.  
   
Damon sighed in relief when the dizziness stopped. He was loathe to admit it, but Ric was right. There was no way he`d make it to the shower right now. Maybe if he buried his head under the covers the teacher would leave him alone. Why was he even still here? Shouldn´t he run out, now that he could be certain that Damon would survive the night?  
   
The vampire tensed when instead of running out, Ric got down onto one knee in front of him. He kept his gaze fixed on the floor, not daring to look at Alaric. Afraid of the disgust he was sure to see on the man`s face. But when Ric gently cupped his cheek and forced him to look up, he didn´t fight. Trying to school his features – and failing miserably – he met Ric`s eyes. There was no disgust. If anything, the teacher looked nervous.  
   
“I was about to tell you something, when Katherine interrupted us. Something important.” Ric began in a whisper. He took a deep breath before continuing: “I love you too, Damon.” 

For a second the vampire was unable to react. The breath caught in his throat and he was almost sure that he´d only imagined the words. But he could also see it in Ric`s eyes. Could see that he meant it. Without thinking twice about it he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Alaric`s, breathing a sigh of relief when the man responded immediately.  
   
The kiss ended all too soon. “I was so afraid I might lose you.” Ric whispered.   
Damon smiled. A real genuine smile, not one of his signature smirks. “You won`t get rid of me so easily. Especially now.” he promised.   
The teacher chuckled. “I`ll hold you to that promise.” He dropped another, quick kiss on Damon´s lips, before pulling back. “You should try to get some sleep. Regain your strength.” Damon nodded and slipped back under the covers.   
   
When Ric made a move to get up he caught his wrist. “Stay with me?”   
Ric looked at him with a gentle smile. “Always.” he replied, before kicking off his shoes, crawling into bed next to the vampire and drawing him into his arms. Damon sighed softly and closed his eyes, feeling fatigue wash over him. He felt like he could sleep for a whole day. But something was still nagging at him.   
   
“Do you think she told the truth? About Stefan?” he asked.   
“I don`t know. Maybe.” Alaric whispered back.   
An uneasy feeling was settling over Damon. Had his brother really sacrificed everything to save his life? And what would Klaus do with him?   
Ric seemed to sense his thoughts. “If she told the truth we`ll deal with it. Together. But now you need to rest.”   
Damon knew that he was right. “Okay.” he whispered, closing his eyes again.  
   
He felt Ric`s arms tighten around him and sighed softly. The uneasy feeling wasn`t going away completely, but it was easier to ignore for the moment. He would sleep and regain his strength and tomorrow they would deal with whatever new crisis arose. Together, just like Ric had said. The word made Damon smile. Not even an hour ago he had thought that this was the end. Now he knew that it was only just the beginning.


End file.
